A Rolling Start
by Bandicoot Sauce
Summary: It's Roller Brawl's time to shine! "Let's Roll!" Check it out inside.


**A Rolling Start**

**Well, here it is, my first published fanfic. And it's about Skylanders! It was written before the release of Skylanders Swap Force, just to clarify.**

**On one of Roller Brawl's first missions, she and her fellow Skylanders must obtain a crucial item that may turn the tables against the evil Portal Master, Kaos. Unfortunately, the possessor of this item is reluctant to give it up due to distrust…**

Joshua had no idea what Skylands was or how he had come to be there. He had woken up to find himself lying in an unfamiliar castle courtyard. After searching around to try and figure out where he was, he had been caught by the castle guards and brought before the renegade Portal Master, Kaos, who believed him to be an ally of his enemies, the Skylanders. Joshua had no idea what he was talking about and protested that he had never even heard of them. This greatly intrigued the crazed midget ruler of the castle, thus leading him to speak privately with his faithful troll butler, Glumshanks.

"So, this boy doesn't even know of those stupid Sky-losers." contemplated Kaos. "Do you know what this means, Glumshanks?"

"Uh, that we have no quarrel with him?" guessed the troll.

"Well, that too, but mainly, it means that we can use the situation to MY ADVANTAGE!" the Portal Master declared. "Now, here's what we'll do…"

Shortly, the doors to the throne room opened and Kaos requested the boy's presence. "I have been thinking it over," stated Kaos, "And I've decided that, instead of imprisoning you here as an enemy of me, I choose to believe your story and will have Glumshanks here escort you from the grounds, never to return!" Glumshanks and Joshua got as far as the throne room door when the Portal Master spoke again.

"Oh, and one more thing: steer clear of those Skylanders. They're the bad guys. Just a little friendly advice." Kaos tried to give a smile, straining with the effort.

Once Joshua was ushered out of the castle, the troll butler simply said, "Well, see you." then turned and walked away, something falling out of his pocket as he went.

Joshua picked it up. It was a small golden key with the letter 'K' engraved on it.

"Hey, wait! You dropped your key!" he called. Too late. Glumshanks was already gone. The boy sighed and pocketed the key, wondering what he was supposed to do now. He was all alone in a strange world with no food, money or anything.

One thing was for sure, though; he didn't want to run into any of those Skylanders, whatever they were. If they were serious bad guys, he doubted he would be able to fight them if need be.

Joshua walked in silence for a while, looking for someone, if anyone, who could help him. As evening fell he came across a small clearing. Two canvas tents stood fully erected in the middle of the clearing. Three figures sat around a campfire roasting hot dogs. None of these figures were human. Joshua caught a few words of what they were saying.

"I'll be glad when we get back to the citadel." the first one, some sort of fish-man, said. "My feet are _killing_ me."

"I hear-eth that," the second, a knight who seemed to be on fire, responded. "Still, it's part of the job, I suppose"

"That's right." declared the third, a small purple dragon. "We're Skylanders, and we go where we're needed."

So these are Skylanders, Joshua thought. I'd better steer clear of this place.

"So where's Stealth Elf, anyway?" the fish-man asked. "I checked her tent and she's not in there."

"She said something about securing the perimeter." the dragon replied. "Probably not necessary. What are the odds of running into trouble out here?"

After hearing this, Joshua kept expecting this 'Stealth Elf' person to jump him from behind, but no such thing happened. He continued to eavesdrop on the Skylanders, the smell of cooking hot dogs taunting his growing hunger.

After a while, the Skylanders retired to their tent. Joshua saw this as his chance to sneak into the clearing and help himself to the leftover hot dogs on the fish-man's plate. He glanced around nervously as he did so, thinking that Stealth Elf might return from wherever she was at any moment. He had just finished the food when she appeared out of nowhere right in front of him. He shrieked in fright and dropped the plate.

"You know," Stealth Elf said, "stealing is not a very good quality in a young man like yourself."

"I-I was hungry." Joshua stammered lamely.

"If you needed food that badly, all you had to do was ask."

The other Skylanders had heard the noise and were now coming out to investigate, including one from Stealth Elf's tent who had been out of the picture until now. This one was a human with very pale skin and glowing white eyes. She was dressed in a skin-tight purple outfit covered by the necessary safety gear for roller-blading; knee pads, shoulder pads and the like. A black helmet with a skull design rested on top of her braided pink hair. Her roller blades each had only one large wheel in the form of saw blades. She wore lethal looking black metal claws over her gloved hands.

Joshua gulped. He was outnumbered five to one by skilled warriors. "Okay, you got me." He said. "I know when bad guys have me beat."

"'Bad guys'?" the fish-man repeated, laughing. "Boy, are you a little confused! We're the Skylanders: the dedicated protectors of this great land of Skylands."

"Oh, yeah?" said the boy in disbelief. "That's not what Emperor Kaos told me about you."

At the mention of Kaos' name, the Skylanders immediately tensed and developed fighting stances. "And just _how_ are you affiliated with Kaos?" the dragon asked sharply.

Joshua proceeded to explain who he was and how he had been banished from the grounds of Kaos' castle. He then showed them the key to back up his story. The dragon took one look at it and his eyes widened with excitement.

"That key." He gasped. "It's the key to the back entrance to his castle! It is very fortunate that you have brought this key before us, Joshua. With it… well, just thinking of the possibilities is mind-boggling!"

"Well, you're not getting it." The boy said. The Skylanders looked like they were going to faint at this. "I don't trust you."

"Thou hast been deceived by Kaos, I fear." the fire knight said. "_He's_ the villain. Not us."

They tried, again, to explain that _they _were the heroes. They then introduced themselves. The dragon, the fish-man, the fire knight, the ninja and the skater girl were Spyro, Gill Grunt, Ignitor, Stealth Elf and Roller Brawl respectively.

The boy still wouldn't give up the key. "I don't know…" he said. "I don't understand how things work in this world, so I don't know who I can trust. If you guys are the heroes, you'll have to prove it somehow before I trust you enough to hand over something that's so important to you."

Spyro looked thoughtful. "Fair enough." He said. "How about this: we'll take you to the citadel with us tomorrow and you can live there with us while we find a way to prove ourselves worthy of your trust. How about it?"

Joshua hesitated. "Okay, fine." he answered. "Just don't try anything funny to get the key in the meantime."

"That's settled, then." said Spyro. "Now, how do we handle the sleeping arrangements?"

"He can have my sleeping bag." said Ignitor. "I'll stay up and keep watch. That way, I won't be likely to set my sleeping bag on fire again." Stealth Elf and Roller Brawl sniggered.

"After everything that's happened to me, I think sleep is out of the question." Joshua sighed.

"Oh, I wouldn't leap to that conclusion." Roller Brawl stated. She faced him and her eyes started to glow purple. His eyes became locked onto hers. "Just relax." She said soothingly. "Let your mind drift. That's right…"

Joshua was out like a light before he fell backwards. Gill Grunt caught him and, with Spyro's help, dragged him into the tent and put him in Ignitor's sleeping bag. "Don't you think he might be distrusting because of that when he wakes up?" He asked Roller Brawl as he walked out of the tent followed by Spyro.

"Not if he still has the key in his pocket." She replied. "I could've just taken it after I hypnotised him, but I didn't. You mark my words; he will start to trust us after this."

Spyro broke into a huge grin. "That's brilliant!" he exclaimed.

"The only question is: will it last?" murmured Stealth Elf.

The hike back to the citadel that took place the following morning was a long and tiring one. Spyro and Gill Grunt walked at the head of the party, with Stealth Elf and Ignitor following behind them and Roller Brawl and Joshua bringing up the rear.

"You know, you have awfully pale skin for a warrior." Joshua was saying. "No offence."

"None taken." The skater girl replied. "It's a common trait amongst us undead folk."

"_Undead!? Seriously?_" the boy exclaimed, horrified.

"Now, don't go holding that against me!" Roller Brawl said, sounding both angry and a little hurt at his reaction. "I'm as dedicated a Skylander as any! Besides, there's nothing I can do about it, and for the record, being undead has its advantages and can be _fun_, believe it or not."

They continued in silence for a short while, and then Joshua spoke up. "So, what are some of the advantages of being undead?" he asked. He wasn't challenging her; he was actually interested.

"Well, for starters, otherwise fatal gruesome injuries are no big deal, and I can't be truly killed unless the enemy goes for my brain. Most of Kaos' minions are too stupid to do that." she said, smirking at the last part. "Also, I don't need to eat, sleep, drink water or go to the bathroom, though I have developed the habits and do enjoy them." At this, Joshua started laughing hysterically.

"You enjoy going to the bathroom!" he shrieked, doubled over with mirth.

Roller Brawl rolled her eyes. "I didn't mean it like that." she said. "Anyway, another advantage is that my body is sustained by magic, so even though I'm deceased, it doesn't rot. Still, a little moisturising cream now and then doesn't hurt."

Joshua had now managed to calm himself down somewhat. "Wow, that's really interesting." he said seriously. "You've given me a lot to think about."

He started walking again. He went about six paces before he shrieked: "_The bathroom!_" and fell to the ground, giggling uncontrollably.

Eon's citadel was truly a marvellous sight. It had been rebuilt anew after Kaos had destroyed it along with the Core of Light. The Skylanders and their young accomplice ventured inside to find an immense room filled with a number of Skylanders of varying shapes, sizes and species. A bar stood in one corner, its bartender serving various drinks to the warriors.

"All non-alcoholic, of course." Spyro explained to Joshua. "Skylanders cannot afford the luxury of alcohol as they could be called into action at any time."

The Skylanders all seemed to be doing their own thing: some were sitting around discussing their adventures and comparing their weapons. Others were playing a variety of card games and board games. Two giants sat hunched over a small table in the corner, immersed in a game of Skystones.

"It's 'crush hour'!" One of them, a rock golem, declared as he placed a card (stone?) on the board. The other, some sort of giant tree, just laughed in triumph.

"I've got you now." He said. He placed his last card down, causing the rock golem's smile to fall flat. "I win!" the tree giant shouted. "Be afraid of the bark!"

Spyro's group made its way over to the bar. The dragon ordered drinks for the group, and then turned to Joshua.

"This is the citadel's leisure room." He said. "You can go off and have a look around if you want, maybe get to know some of the Skylanders. One of us will catch up with you later to see if you've changed your mind about giving us the key." With that, he turned and became immersed in a conversation with Gill Grunt.

Joshua spent most of the day meeting the many Skylanders about the place.

He played Skystones with Jet-Vac.

Trigger Happy loaned him a few gold coins.

He started to converse with Eruptor, but was put off when the lava monster let out a tremendous burp, during which he belched up a small puddle of lava onto the floor.

Pop Fizz offered him a homemade drink, but Spyro found out just in time and snatched it away.

Cynder showed off her lightning breath and shadow dashing abilities to him. Joshua was quite impressed.

As the sun started to set, Joshua was given a scroll by someone called Cali, who had apparently been asked to deliver it to him. It read:

_Joshua,_

_I know you're cautious to trust us Skylanders, which is why I'd like to meet you at the arena behind the citadel. I was hoping that you'd care to join me for some basic combat training, as the best place to get to know a Skylander is in battle._

_Don't worry, though: it's merely a sporting affair, not an all-out fight._

_Hope to see you there!_

_R. Brawl._

Intrigued, Joshua headed out there, passing an enormous stone basin filled with glowing energy. He had heard about this from one of the Skylanders. It was a Portal of Power. Thinking it best not to touch it, he pressed on, out the back doors of the citadel and to the arena.

Sure enough, Roller Brawl was waiting for him. "Glad you could make it." She said, smiling. "This is going to be great fun."

Joshua was soon geared up in roller blades and safety gear like she was, though his padding was brown, not black, and his roller blades were more normal looking. His helmet bore the Skylands Earth elemental symbol. He even had his own pair of claws, though not as stylish as Roller Brawl's.

They started with the boy coming at the skater girl with his claws, after she assured him that she could take it, that is. She blocked every swipe. They then proceeded to try it from the other end. At first, the boy was terrified as she slashed at him, but the safety gear protected him from any serious harm. Soon, he got the hang of blocking and dodging and his confidence started to boost. Before long, Roller Brawl's prediction came true and the two were having great fun, laughing and fooling around like old friends.

They finished up as night fell, grinning like idiots. Roller Brawl was about to head off to dinner when Joshua called after her. She turned and he threw her the key.

"It's the least I could do to thank you for such a great time." he said, smiling. She smiled back, and then departed from the arena.

The Skylanders decided to use the key to break into Kaos' castle to try and find out what his next plan to take over Skylands would be. After dinner, a team of Skylanders consisting of Spyro, Gill Grunt, Trigger Happy, Chop Chop, Cynder and Roller Brawl headed out to the villain's place filled with determination.

The next morning, everyone was surprised to witness Spyro fly in through the window and collapse on the floor, looking badly beaten.

"It was a trap." he gasped when a few Skylanders and Joshua came over to help him up. "Kaos has been ahead of us the whole time. He _wanted_ Joshua to get the key and bring it before us. He knew that we wouldn't be able to resist such an opportunity."

"You mean he used me?" asked Joshua.

"Yes. His minions were lying in wait for us. He captured Roller Brawl and forced the rest of us to flee. He says he'll kill her unless his demands are met." Spyro finished grimly.

Joshua pictured Roller Brawl in his mind, trapped somewhere, scared. Roller Brawl, the friendliest Skylander he'd ever met. A tear fell from his eye.

"We can't let her die." he said.

"Indeed we can't." said Gill Grunt, "But neither can we give in to Kaos' demands. It's a difficult choice; either option will result in a great loss for Skylands."

"Well then, let's go and fight Kaos!" Joshua declared. "We'll take him down and save Roller Brawl!"

"I wish it were that simple." Spyro said. "He said that he'll kill her immediately if we try anything."

"Then I'll go alone!" Joshua said. "Kaos thinks that I don't trust you guys! I'll let him continue to believe that and I'll find a way to rescue Roller Brawl!"

"Art thou crazy?" exclaimed Ignitor. "It's far too dangerous!"

"She's my friend too, so I'm going and you can't stop me!"

With that, Joshua went and got into his roller skating gear from yesterday, making sure to sharpen the claws before putting them on. He was about to head out when Stealth Elf stopped him.

"If you're not going to listen to warnings, then at least take these." she said, handing him some strange items. "They're poisonous spore clouds. Blow them at enemies to knock them out, but don't waste them; there's not a lot there."

"Okay, thanks, Stealth Elf." he said, and then turned to leave.

"Oh, and one more thing." she called after him.

"Yeah?"

"Good luck, Joshua."

Joshua made it to the castle by nightfall and requested an urgent audience with Kaos.

"Why are you back here?" he demanded. "I told you to never return. NEVER!"

"I want to see the Skylander you captured."

Kaos frowned suspiciously. "What for?"

Joshua thought fast. "I want to spit in her face and call her a Sky-loser."

There was a long pause, then Kaos started to laugh uproariously.

"How DELICIOUSLY vile!" he declared, before pulling a lever that opened a passage in the wall. "Have at it, young fellow! Just follow the corridor and you'll find her cell."

"Thanks." the boy said as he entered the passageway.

"I don't know about this, Master." said Glumshanks as Joshua disappeared. "He was dressed awfully similarly to the prisoner."

"Hmm. You're right, for once." said Kaos. "Better take a little precaution…"

Meanwhile, Joshua was skating smoothly down the long corridor, looking for the cell that held his friend. Typically enough, it was right at the end. He found the key hanging on a nearby wall, thrust it into the lock and flung the door open. Roller Brawl immediately developed a fighting stance, but her face lit up as soon as she saw who it was.

"Joshua!" she cried, running forward to hug him. "I'm so glad to see you!"

"And I, you." he smiled. "Now, let's get out of here."

They walked out of the cell and found themselves face to face with a muscle-bound green creature wearing a Viking hat. Roller Brawl gasped.

Suddenly, Kaos' voice rang out over loudspeaker.

"Just thought I'd send my Goliath Drow minion to keep an eye on you, in case you decided to try anything funny. MINION, if he tries to free the prisoner, ATTAAACK!"

The Drow growled menacingly and raised its fist to attack.

"Stay back! I've got this!" Joshua cried wildly before running at the monster with his claws outstretched.

"JOSHUA, NO!" Roller Brawl cried, "GOLIATH DROWS HAVE-

Joshua leapt at the Drow, then was sent flying back, screaming, to land painfully on the floor.

"-Energy shields." Roller Brawl groaned.

"Should've used the spore things." Joshua muttered, clutching his leg in pain. "I think I twisted my ankle when I landed." he moaned.

"Stay down, and leave this to me." the skater girl said. "I'm a Skylander. This sort of thing is right up my alley."

The Drow came charging at Roller Brawl, its shields raised. She leapt out of the way, causing it to skid to a halt inches from the wall. As it turned, the skater girl jumped, lifted her legs and fired her saw blade roller blades at its chest. The monster howled in agony. Roller Brawl followed up with a series of fast and furious claw strikes, causing the Drow more anguish. It started to back away. The girl leaped on to its chest, their heads level. She head butted the creature and it collapsed, unconscious. She stood there, panting.

"WHOA! That was amazing!" exclaimed Joshua.

"NOOOOOOOO!"

Kaos ran, howling, into the tunnel, Glumshanks at his heels.

"MY DROW! MY BEAUTIFUL GOLIATH DROW!" he wailed, crouching down beside it's unconscious body.

"It's not dead." said Roller Brawl, "Just knocked out."

At this, Kaos leapt up and grabbed her by the collar (which wasn't saying much, considering that he was shorter than she was).

"Do you think this is over?" he snarled. "WRONG! Someday I _will _become Emperor of Skylands, and on that day, you will face your unimaginable DOOOOOO-!"

Roller Brawl cracked her helmet against the midget's head, knocking him out.

Glumshanks looked from his unconscious master to the defeated Drow, then to the Skylander who had just taken out both of them. She flexed her claws. He gulped, scooped up Kaos and hurried away without looking back.

Flynn the balloonist was waiting outside the castle as the sun rose. He watched as Roller Brawl carried Joshua out.

"Hey there, Skylander!" he called. "Good to see you're okay."

He helped Roller Brawl lift the boy into the balloon basket. "You must be Joshua." he said. "The Skylanders told me about you. Anyone courageous enough to plunge headlong into danger to aid a Skylander must be almost as awesome as me. Almost. BOOM!"

"What's with this guy?" Joshua asked.

Roller Brawl smiled knowingly. "Just roll with it." she said.

A few days later, Joshua's ankle was healed and he decided to stick around at the citadel for a while. He and Roller Brawl were having a tag-team combat training session with Spyro and Gill Grunt when Hugo, the knowledgeable Mabu friend of the Skylanders, came running over to announce that a message from Flynn was coming through the Portal of Power. They hurried over to check it out.

"Yeah, I'm out here at the Cloudbreak Islands." Flynn's voice came clearly through the portal, sounding oddly dull. "The volcano just erupted and… how do I put this? A number of brave Skylanders were… well, they were caught in the blast." he finished grimly.

A great sorrow-filled silence filled the citadel. Many Skylanders hung their heads.

"Wait, hold on a second." Flynn suddenly said sharply. "The smoke's clearing. I think I can s- YES!" he cried. They're okay! They're all okay!"

Cheers broke out through the building. Murmurs of relief were heard here and there.

"Wait, hold on!" called Flynn. "There seems to be something going on with the upper and lower halves of their bodies. I'm not sure wha- WHOA! That. Is. AWESOME! You guys are not going to believe this one…"

**To be continued…?**


End file.
